Our rivalry with Bangor is stupid and we should let it go

Before you even got to Aberystwyth, you probably heard the phrase “at least we’re better than Bangor”.

Now that might not be true in the league tables, and it certainly wasn’t true at Varsity last year, but at least we have the better nights out, right? The better seaside sunsets? The most badass seagulls?

Is there anything meaningful we’re better at than Bangor?

Oh right, student election participation and campus safety – the two best measures of any great university.

The thing is, as competitive as we are with Bangor we share a lot more similarities than differences. We are both Welsh coastal university too many people struggle to pronounce (is it Bang-gor or Bang-er?). We also and occupy the same sort of area on the league tables, are just as uncomfortably close to the Midlands and around about the same age.

They’re like our twin sibling. Sure siblings fight, but this is ridiculous.

Aber and Bangor students, together in harmony

This sort of intense rivalry is almost acceptable for Oxford and Cambridge, but we’re not them. They’ve got hundreds of years of having a go at each other and everyone knows about it.

On the other hand we’re lucky if anyone has even heard of our universities – let alone knows about our rivalry and that one time you and the lads “laughed at all the minging Bangor girls in Peep”. It’s pathetic, and no one really believes that you “totally could have pulled” if you wanted.

Look how happy they are together

We have more similarities than differences

I’m not saying let’s never do anything competitive with each other – they are our Varsity rivals after all. But don’t you think it’s getting a little bit old now? The vast majority of the jibes on Yik Yak are variations on “Bangor students are thickos” and “a degree from Bangor is worthless”.

It would be fine if these Yaks were imaginative. but they’re not. They’re just rehashed jokes mocking a bunch of people who aren’t even there. It’s the humour equivalent of most the Cambrian cocktails – entertaining when you’ve just got to Aber and trying to impress your new flatmates with your knowledge of the local lingo you are, but really you should have grown out of it after a couple of months.

So next time you come across a Bangor student, be it at Varsity, BUCS, or just through happenstance, don’t yell abuse at them, or mock them because of the university they chose to go to.

Buy them a drink, have a chat, and bring our two unis just a little closer together.